Safari Sunday
Butterfly season is underway, and so far I’ve had quite good numbers in comparison to other years. Normally I don’t get ‘the big ones’ until later in the year but I’ve already had Peacock, Comma and Small Tortoiseshell. I’ve also had a few whites and Speckled wood. It will be another couple of months before the Gatekeepers arrive though.
The flutters are perhaps the main reason I’m hesitant to move. I’ve never seen so many before and have to wonder if it’s good luck or really down to the long privet hedge? Perhaps there’s a different factor I haven’t yet discovered but I will feel so bad if the next house I move to has barely any Butterflies at all.
Can you spot the butterfly in the photos??
Small White Butterfly
Early in the year the flutters don’t often sit around for long, and definitely don’t allow me to get close so it was nice to be able to stalk this Small White.
Small White Butterfly
I also spotted this fat Caterpillar, most likely some sort of Moth – maybe a Silver-Y or Yellow Underwing as I see them fairly regularly.
Caterpillar
Caterpillar
The little feet look like suction cups! Never realised this before and wonder whether this is where the design for suctions came from???
Caterpillar
Caterpillar
That’s it for the safari, most of the images need to be saved for the blogger’s bloom day post during the week!
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My goodness these are amazing shots….I have the cabbage whites as well but no other yet and we have a possible frost and freeze coming tonight…
I’ve seen a couple of butterflies recently. Very odd as it’s usually well into June before I get a fleeting glimpse of one!
Those close ups are spectacular – you would almost think it was something under the sea!
Your close ups are amazing, but I’m not sure if I like them or not! We have seen Orange Tip, Speckled Wood,a tiny brown one which wouldn’t sit still and a very small blue one. Nothing has obliged by sitting long enough to be photographed. I’m sure if you move, that your garden will soon bring in the butterflies because you know which plants to use, it wasn’t long here before they came and it gets better year on year.
The only butterflies I’ve seen so far are some Mourning Cloaks.
I spotted a small white yesterday, those shots of the caterpillar are extremely detailed.
Those are whitethorn’s leaves, aren’t they? Doesn’t it flower? I’ve notice some of my whitethorn didn’t flower this year, they’ve just put up a lot of leaves and growth, while others were covered in flowers and I wondered why they behaved so differently. I liked the ‘find Wally’ – butterfly edition 🙂
Hi Alberto,
It is Hawthorn, yes. It does/will flower yes but mine are still quite small and I’m training it as a hedge so never manages to produce the flowers yet.
Haha; I usually take record shots of things first, and with flutters then stalk closer. Most of the time they fly away but at least I have something. In this case I was lucky 🙂
I love it that you know the names of your butterflies. Is that one really called ‘small white’? We’ve had a bunch of those and some brownish ones this spring. As my garden matures we are seeing more of them, more big bumbles and more birds. Lots of fun!
Hi VW,
This butterfly is indeed a small white but yours are likely to be different in the US or at least have a different name. I’m guessing the brown ones will likely be skippers of some kind but there are also other browns too.
Is your garden/house quite newly built or have previous owners left the gardens quite plain?